“But before the Hendersons, we have Lily.”
“Ah Lily. What time is she arriving?” He looked at his watch. His morning hour alone had gone by quickly.
“Any minute. She called to say she would be early today.”
“Likely so she can get some extra time in.” Lily was approaching eighty, a cheerful older lady, but he suspected she made appointments with him just to have someone to talk to.
Candace left and he stood, reaching for his lab-coat. He put the stethoscope around his neck. And put a notebook in his pocket with his office phone. He could look up any condition and help evaluate symptoms on that software in a manner of minutes. Most things he could recognize right away, but now and then a weird combination threw him.
He waited until his phone dinged. Lily was in a room. Then he walked to her door and picked up her file, double checking what he thought he already knew. But today, she’d added some new symptoms. He frowned in concern and opened the door. “Hello, Miss Lily, and how are you today?”
“Well now, I’m just fine, just fine.” She looked tired to him. More of his alarm bells began ringing.
“What brings you in today?”
“Mostly my daughter. She’s a stubborn one, threatened to come in with me. As if I’m a toddler or something.” She winked. “Which I know sometimes I am, every woman’s right to give her daughter a little bit of what she gave, that’s what I say.”
David laughed. “That’s what you tell me.”
“Do I tell you that?”
“Every time.”
She nodded. “Good thing. It’s true.”
He waited, and then she told him her new symptoms, about tenderness and discomfort and a new rash.
“Well now, Miss Lily. It looks like you’re finally gonna give me some real work to do.”
“Oh, dear. That’s not good, is it?”
“It’s not bad. But we do need to double check some things. I’ll be ordering tests. And it might be helpful if you had a daughter come with you.”
She nodded. “You’re a good doctor. I know you’ll take care of me.”
His throat felt full. Some things he couldn’t control, like how far advanced her disease might be or if the medicine worked well for her type of illness. As grateful as he was for her trust, he worried it might be misplaced. “Get these as soon as you can, now, and then tell Candace you need to get back in here as soon as they’re done. She can help you get them scheduled.”
“Candace is a good woman. I’ve known her since she was a little girl she tells me.”
He smiled at that. “She tells you?”
“If she’s the fifteen year old I remember, then I can see why I may have blocked her out.”
He snorted.
“I’m just kidding. I love Candace. And that Amber who works here, your nurse, she’s a doll.” Lily had the audacity to wink at him.
“Is she? That’s great. She’s one capable nurse, I’ll tell you what.”
She patted his hand. “Take a good look at her one time. You might notice something.”
He opened his mouth in surprise. “Thank you, Miss Lily. I’ll make sure I do just that. And now you just take this piece of paper up to Candace, and she’ll get you taken care of.”
He helped her stand and held the door open for her. She made her way past him and down the hall. His heart clenched at all that might lay ahead for her and he hoped he was wrong, so wrong, and that the symptoms added up to nothing.
He retreated into his office. A moment of calm before the Henderson storm arrived was needed.
As the day came to a close, he found himself thinking about his new neighbor. That visit had not gone how he expected it to. When she had opened the door, her beautiful skin surprised him. And her youth. For some reason he’d expected an older woman. And her hair. She wore it down and long, falling around her shoulders. Her hands. He remembered her hands. She had long fingers. She looked graceful. He laughed at himself.
He didn’t know her name. Did he? Had he even introduced himself properly? He would definitely need a repeat visit.
Perhaps he could grab some dinner on the way home and drop it off to her…no, that was so middle aged mom. He frowned. It had been so long since he’d interacted with anyone socially his age, he didn’t know what to do.
Candace smiled at him from her desk. “I’ll just be another minute.”
He nodded. Then, as Amber made her way to the front, he asked, “What do women like, as gifts?”
Both women’s eyes widened to such a degree he immediately regretted his decision.
But Candace recovered first. “Depends on the occasion.”
“And your relationship.” Amber added.
Candace turned with her finger in the air. “Yes, certainly this.” Give us your parameters and we’ll help you out. I could even buy something for you on my way into work tomorrow.”
“No, no, I—never mind. Just a passing thought.” He felt their stares on his back as he left the office, but he didn’t care. He shouldn’t have brought it up. And he wasn’t going to show up on Sarah’s front porch with yet another house warming gift. He’d just have to find another way to talk to her for a minute.
He went straight home. He wanted to get his lights up tonight before a cold front hit them tomorrow. Nothing worse than trying to put lights on the roof while a bitter wind bit through you. The new neighbor’s car sat in her driveway. Her garage door was open. She drove a large SUV. He found that curious. Was she single? He’d assumed so with an empty house. But SUV…Why couldn’t he have had a normal conversation the first time?
He opened his own garage door, left his car in the driveway. His box of lights was on the top shelf at the back.
Music started from across the street, Christmas music. Light, pleasant. The words to Jingle Bell Rock made him smile. He hefted the box to his front yard and was soon lost to his lights, humming to his neighbor’s music.
3
Sarah saw the resident hot neighbor pull into his driveway. She stepped back into the shadows of her garage like a scared chicken. She should be able to behave normally in front of neighbors. But no.
She knew the cold was coming, and she wanted to get lights on her room and down her sidewalk before it got too cold. But she’d never done it before. If she could help it, she didn’t want this to be a neighbor event. Maybe she could put up her lights without anyone noticing.
The Home Depot guy had told her what to buy and how to do it, and she was just going forward with that knowledge. The sound of a staple gun from across the street made her smile. Aha! She ran inside to grab hers. She used it all the time in decorating. It was her favorite tool…that and twisty ties. Those things were magic.
She unpacked lights, pulling them out in a long string, and then stood back to study the roof and realized in that moment, she didn’t have a ladder. She’d kind of half expected there to be one in the garage. But of course not, why would there be?
Home ownership was expensive.
So she decided to start in on the lawn and bushes and then maybe ask to borrow the Gempsey’s ladder.
Laying her staple gun aside, she placed her lights in the grass along the sidewalk.
“So, watcha doing over here?” One of the Gempsey boys had come over to take a look. Carl. If she remembered correctly.
“Just putting in some lights. What about you?”
“You might be doing it wrong.”
“What? Do you think so?” She looked at her lights in a nice row going up the sidewalk and had to wonder what could possibly be wrong?
“Yeah, my dad does it different.”
“Do you think your dad could loan me his ladder?”
Carl shrugged. “Probably. He could help you do your lights too, I bet.”
“Well, that’s nice. I think I just need the ladder though. I’ll come by and ask a little later.” She thought maybe she had dismissed the kid, but he stayed. And under his critical eye, she felt absurdly self-conscious.
“My parents always have a light party with hot cocoa.”
“That’s great.”
‘That’s when they do lights. You and Mr. McArthur are doing them early.”
“Who’s Mr. McArthur?”
Carl pointed across the street.
“Ah, the doctor? Dr. McArthur?”
“Yep.”
Hot neighbor was laying down on his own roof, his feet high and his head low, leaning out over the awning, stapling lights. Sarah thought he looked like he would fall off any minute.
“Wow, he’s brave up there.”
“You gonna do that too?”
‘I guess so. That’s what you do when you’re putting lights up, right?”
He shrugged. “That’s what my dad does.”
She gathered the stakes to place lights in the ground. Maybe she could get to work even with Carl talking to her.
“Hi neighbor! Are you new?” A woman with overly curly, bright red hair stood in the middle of Sarah’s lawn.
“Yes, hi. I just moved in yesterday. I’m Sarah Lester.”
“Happy you’re here. The old one was just so quiet and kept to herself I don’t see how she benefitted this neighborhood one bit.”
Sarah bristled but tried to get a read on this woman. “And you are?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Mrs Miller.”
She’d been warned about this woman.
“Happy to meet you. Which house is yours?”
“I live down the street three houses that way. Just out on a walk and thought I’d say hi.”
The door across the street next to hot neighbor opened.
“And here it comes.”
“Pardon me?”
“Just watch.” Mrs. Miller nodded toward a skinny, tall, blond woman who made her way across the lawn with pointy heels. Sarah knew those had to be digging into the grass, but this woman made it look easy. She carried a brown paper grocery bag. Her tight black pants and form fitting sweater made her look like something out of Elle magazine. She looked up to where hot neighbor was working.
“David.”
Ah, so hot man’s name was David McArthur.
“David.” Sarah could almost see her pout begin to form. She flipped hair over her shoulder. “David.”
He lifted his head. “Oh, hey Jessie.”
Their whole conversation was plainly heard across the street. She’d have to remember that in the future.
Carl pointed. “That’s Jessie Updike talking to the doctor.”
Sarah turned back to her pile of lights and starting working on the other side of the sidewalk. She dug one light at a time into the ground using the stakes provided. It seemed like a genius system if you asked her.
Mrs. Miller moved to help her, giving her stakes when she needed them and for the most part, Sarah was grateful for her.
“You heard about Jessie yet?”
“Um, no, not really.”
“She’s trouble. Well, depends I suppose. She has these botox parties and things. Invited me one time but I told her I like my wrinkles right where they are without no botulism floating around in my face, thank you very much.”
“I’ve heard of these parties. Women can all get a discount, right?”
“I suppose they do. She’s into all that stuff. If you look closely, you’ll see not much on her is in its natural state, if you know what I mean.”
“What’s her relationship with the doctor?”
Mrs. Miller eyed her with more speculation than Sarah would have liked. “You gonna try to stake a claim there?”
“Pardon me?”
“You after the doctor? If you are, I’d support you over barbie doll any day.”
“Support…uh…no. I’m not after anyone. Actually, I’m just trying to get my lights up before it gets cold, then I’ll get back to work.”
“Very smart. This neighborhood doesn’t have too many with a full set of smart, if you catch my drift. Those people on your other side, the Gillespies…” She shook her head. “They’re always doing dumb things. One year, they accidentally dug into their own sprinkler lines, had to have an expert out to fix the problem.”
Sarah was beginning to see how this woman worked.
“And you’ve been to the Gempseys…” She watched her, waiting, and Sarah knew she was talking to the kind of women she always tried to avoid, the ones with a viscous tongue, who tried to trap you into saying things you shouldn’t, that you never would normally.
Hot neighbor had been right. Watch out for Mrs. Miller.
Mrs. Miller handed Sarah the next stake. “What do you do for work?”
Would Sarah finish her lights? She wondered, hoped.
“I’m an interior decorator.”
“Oh, that’s incredible. I would love a tour of your place. I bet it’s all decked out.”
“Well, actually.”
Mrs. Miller was already heading for the front door.
“Oh, no, really. I—”
“Now, don’t be modest. There’s no need for that around me…” She peeked in the door. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Sarah laughed nervously. “I’ve spent most of my time and my best work on other people’s houses. I can give you references if you’d like.” Her determination to finish her own house grew ten fold.
“I get that, I suppose.”
She wanted to remind Mrs. Miller she’d only just moved in yesterday but then Sarah would sound overly anxious about impressing this woman who she had already decided to see as little as possible.
They got to the end of the row, finally, Sarah crossing her fingers the woman would leave.
“Great.” She stood and wiped her hands together. “Now we just need to plug it in, and you’ve got lights!”
Sarah looked around for the plug and then gasped. “No.” She lifted the prong where it sat at the end of the sidewalk, road side.
“What! You’ve put them in backwards.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a cord that will reach?”
“I guess I’ll just redo it.”
“No way. After all that work we just did? Leave ‘em in. You can figure out a way to run a plug out here.”
“I don’t mind. I’ll just turn them around. Thanks for your help though. Maybe come by again when they’re finished. We can share some cider.” Hopefully the woman would leave.
Jessie across the street giggled.
Sarah hated that she already had opinions about her from the caustic mouth of Mrs. Miller. But then, maybe her irritation came more from the flirty stance and attraction vibe she was getting between her and Dr. McArthur.
“Well, I hope you’re able to figure it out. I can’t believe you let us do that whole row wrong.”
Was this woman for real? “I can’t either actually, but we’ll get it all fixed up. Don’t you worry.”
Mr. Gempsey joined them.
Carl ran over to him, throwing his arms around his middle. “Hey dad. Miss Sarah needs some help.”
“No, I—” She may as well admit it. “I guess I probably do. I’ve never done this before.” She could obviously have figured it out and she would just redo the lights so that the ends met up at the doorway instead of at the end of the sidewalk, but soon she’d be up on the roof, and she needed his ladder for that.
“Well, now, let’s see what you’ve got here.” He walked up the sidewalk. “These look great. Except for one thing.” He held the end of the row. “See this here?” He winked. “This would be better if it ended up there by the house.”
She knew obviously, of her mistake. But she just nodded and said, “Thank you. Looks like I’m gonna be moving the lights to go in the other direction.”
“You already noticed that?”
“I did. I think Carl tried to tell me.”
Carl nodded. “But I told her you’d help.”
“That’s right, son. We’ll always help if there’s a need.”
Carl nodded proudly.
Sarah just reall
y wanted to get the thing done. “So I was wondering, could I borrow your ladder, Mr. Gempsey?”
“Well, of course, but I do need to ask, what are you going to be using it for?”
“Just these lights right here. I want to do some on the front of the house.”
Mr. Gemspey started shaking his head. “I just don’t know how much I want you climbing up on it, not knowing what you’re doing and then falling and getting yourself hurt.”
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes, but only just. “Mr. Gempsey. I get up on ladders all the time for my work.”
His eyebrows shot into his hairline. “You do? What do you need to be getting up on a ladder for?”
“I’m a decorator, so all sorts of things. Particularly at Christmas time. I’ve never put up outside lights before, but I’ve certainly done my share of garlands, trees, ribbons, swags, centerpieces, wreaths, most things of that nature.”
He nodded but the skeptical expression was really starting to annoy her. Everyone was starting to annoy her. Could she not just put up her lights without a committee of neighbors offering opinions? And not one of them any help at all…
Then Dr. McArthur walked up, with a ladder in hand. “I couldn’t help but overhear you might want this?” His grin was warm, his eyes sparkling with humor.
And she wanted to hug him. “Yes! Thank you. That is just the very thing I was wanting right now.”
“Before you climb up there, can we get a spotter?” Mr. Gempsey’s voice trailed off as Sarah shook her head and Dr. McArthur put the ladder up against the house.
Hot neighbor won even more points when he said. “I’ll take care of it.” He looked around at everyone standing on the lawn. Carl, Mrs. Miller, Mr. Gempsey and smiled. “Looks like we got it from here.”
“I’ll leave you to it then.” Mr. Gempsey rested a hand on Carl’s shoulder. “Shall we go see what mom’s cooked up for dinner?”
Mrs. Miller walked away. “I’ll just step back over to my house. I can watch from there. I hope you get that front sidewalk part all fixed up. I feel terrible it’s not right yet.”
Sarah just climbed the ladder while the doctor held it for her. Without asking, he handed her the lights when she reached down for them. And then the staple gun. And then the extension cord.
It's a Wonderful Date Page 2
